806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  1 

Name: Hassan Basarally

ID: 806007430

Course: LING 6106-The Content of Tertiary Level English

Assignment: Conduct interviews with five students at tertiary institutions. Find out their

perceptions of the role of English in the programme at their institution and determine

what role they would like to see in their programmes. If none, justify.

Due: 15/12/09

Lecturer: Prof. I. Robertson

Semester: 1

Academic Year: 2009/2010

Faculty: Humanities and Education

Department: Liberal Arts

University: The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine

806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  2 
 

Background

The background of the tertiary institution in the Anglophone Caribbean is characterized

by the problem of defining a tertiary institution, the complex linguistic situation of the region and

the changing types of students entering the selected tertiary institution.

Tertiary education existed in the Caribbean with the establishment of the Imperial School

of Tropical Agriculture. This institution was the forerunner of the University of the West Indies.

Since the Anglophone Caribbean spans many islands and included English-speaking mainland

territories there was a need for further education institutions in different geographical and subject

areas.

As the name suggests, tertiary education is the third stage of education. It follows

secondary schools and provides students with a career specific training. Traditionally, tertiary

education has been synonymous with university education. This is too narrow a definition, when

taking into consideration that the main characteristic of tertiary education is the provision of

education to meet the needs of specific industries.

The World Bank defines tertiary education as, “all post-secondary education, including

but not limited to universities which produce higher –order capacities”. As part of its plan to

become a developed nation by the year 2020, Trinidad and Tobago seeks to become a “global

education hub” (Contact, 10). In this country a wide array of tertiary education facilities exist

that would not fall into the university model. These are public institutions listed by Roberts and

Brissett (10). Institutions in Trinidad and Tobago include: adult and continuing education e.g.

UWI School of Continuing Studies, Specialised Institutions e.g. Cipriani College of Labour and

Co-operative Studies, Teachers Colleges, which now exists as B.Ed. programmes and UWI and

UTT, Colleges e.g. College of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education of Trinidad and
806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  3 
 

Tobago (COSTATT), national university e.g. University of Trinidad and Tobago and regional

university e.g. University of the West Indies.

Each of the previously mentioned institutions has different course of studies,

matriculation requirements, qualifications and student demographic. The only thing in common

is that students enrol in these institutions to acquire requisite skills for current or intended careers

and enrol in after secondary school.

The student makeup in the region has also changed in the region. Trinidad and Tobago

generally has large numbers of tertiary students in the region. This was further increased with the

implementation of the Government Assistance in Tertiary Education (GATE). According to

Contact Magazine, university graduates have increased to 2218 in 2007/08 from 1896 in 2005/06

at the St. Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies. With the state paying all

tuition expenses a large number of citizens who normally could not afford tertiary education and

possessed varying matriculation requirements.

Many students indicated that they spoke English. A minority was able to differentiate

between English and Creole/Dialect. The two terms were used interchangeably in the

questionnaire because it is largely synonymous to the majority of students. This shows the bi

dialectal nature of the region. As there is a creole continuum, students would speak the

mesolectal or acrolectal variety. The linguistic self awareness reflects a similar condition that

Caribbean students faced in other countries. In describing Caribbean immigrant youth in

Toronto, Scott notes that Caribbean people defined themselves as unilingual but faced problems

in comprehending other speakers of English. This complex linguistic situation affects the

language needs of students at tertiary level.

806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  4 
 

Method

Setting

The setting for the study was the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine,

Trinidad. It was chosen for its large size and easy access. It consists of five faculties and offers 3-

year degree programmes, with the exception of the medical degree which is a 5-year programme.

The UWI has an English Language Foundation Programme which consists of foundation courses

which must be passed in order to be awarded a degree. The exception to this is the Faculty of

Engineering which has no English foundation course.

Participants

Five students from the university were randomly selected for the study. The only criterion

that students had to meet was that each was from a different faculty. All students were natives of

Trinidad. No other forms of screening were done in terms of social and educational backgrounds.

Data Collection

A semi structured questionnaire was distributed to the participants to document their

language awareness and needs. Samples of student writing were collected to determine

individual writing skills and different faculties’ consideration for English in marking. The

writing samples consisted of student essays and papers. In addition, there daily newspapers were

monitored over the period of one week for vacancies that required tertiary qualifications. The

specific language skills and tasks needed, if any, were also noted to determine the language skills

that students were expected to employ in the corporate world.

Limitations were the small scale qualitative research. When the term Caribbean was used,

it meant the Anglophone Caribbean. The research done also cannot be used to indicate the

language awareness and skills of each faculty of the institution as a whole. This was not a
806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  5 
 

qualitative research. Another limitation was that the views of English teachers at the University

of the West Indies were not gauged to see what teachers believe were the language needs of

students.

Results and Discussion

Diagram 1 lists the reasons for students’ willingness to take on further study of English.

Unless of direct importance to the career or skills desired by the student, English studies were

left off. The complaints of it having too much rules and difficult lies in traditional association

that only educated people speak Standard English. In addition, because the participants are part

of the new generation of tertiary academia who speak Creole/Dialect often it has become to a

degree accepted. Being so comfortable in the use of Creole/Dialect is also as a result that 60% of

the participants cannot say they were penalised for English errors at UWI. This creates a case

similar to Briguglio’s study amongst “non-English Speaking Background (NESB)” students in

Australia (1). The study found that due to students feeling comfortable speaking non-standard

varieties it was difficult to distinguish between academic and non-academic language (6). The

need to develop academic competency in English has also been highlighted by the Ministry of

Science Technology and Tertiary Education, Trinidad and Tobago as a priority in developing the

tertiary education sector in the country (Contact Magazine).

Reasons for not wanting to do further Reasons for wanting to do further

English studies at Tertiary level English studies at Tertiary level
Not interesting Use in intended career
Too many rules Need to develop writing skills
Difficult
Not enjoyable
Diagram 1: Reasons for embarking on or leaving off English studies at Tertiary
institutions.
80600743
30  Hasssan Basarally LING 6106 6 
 

T self assesssment of stuudents (See Diagram 2) reflects the fact that studdents use onne
The

dialect inn some skillss and anotherr dialect in others.

o Studeents recordedd higher ratinngs for readiing,

note takinng and listen

ning. The scoore of 1 wass the lowest and
a 5 the higghest. It show
ws that listenning

and readiing Standard

d English is easier
e due too the academ
mic environm
ment but prodduction of

Standardd English in expository

e w
writing is moore difficult. The writingg could also be
b characteriised

by Creolee interferencce. The interrference is exxpected as itt is part of a multilinguall situation where
w

the nativee language structures

s apppear in the target
t languaage sentencee constructionns.

Diagrram 2: SSelf assessment of langu
uage 
skills 
Reading

W
Writing (Essay)
Engin
neering
Skill

Wrriting (Notes) Humaanities and Edu
ucation

Speaking Medical Sciences
Science and Agricultre
Listening
Social Sciences and Law
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Self Ratingg

T majority of students did not use Standard

The S Ennglish in perssonal life. Thhe reasons were
w

the ease of
o socialisatiion in Creole, students feeling
f pressuured to speaak Standard English
E and the

belief thaat Standard English

E was only for acaademic and formal
f settinngs (See Diaggram 3). Theere

exists a need
n dents to channge perceptioons of Standdard English.. Cheny (2099) notes that with
for stud

a change in the entry

y level, age and
a marital status of the modern
m tertiiary student, language neeeds

also channge. Like Caaribbean studdents, Chenyy’s study Com

mmunity Coollege Englissh: Diverse

Backgrouunds, Diversse Needs, noted that som

me students do
d not see a need
n to take English couurses
80600743
30  Hasssan Basarally LING 6106 7 
 

because they
t believe they speak it.
i At the Unniversity of the
t West Inddies the Triniidad Englishh

speakers share many similarities with Standaard English that

t may give them sensee of securityy in

speakingg and writing

g. English is not seen as a means of self
s expressioon but reseerved for

academicc and formall communicaation. Thouggh students should

s not bee pressured to
t speak

Standardd English, its viability as a means of communicattion and exppression in ann ever

contractinng world mu
ust be highlighted.

Diagraam 3: Re
easons ffor not u
using Staandard 
Engglish in p
personal life.
Easier to sociaalise in Creole.
Feels pressureed to speak in SStandard Engliish.
Standard English is only for cclassroom and professional u
use.

20%
40%

40%

Scott notes th
hat speakers of a dialect, when misunnderstood, suuffers from low
l self esteeem

and will be
b sensitive to possible negative
n reaactions. The UWI
U is mainnly staffed by
b Caribbeann

nationalss who can faiirly understaand the diffeerent dialectss of English in the regionn. Since this

occurs, sttudents at UWI

U have lim ms in comprrehension annd will feel comfortable using
mited problem u

Creole/D
Dialect. This is another reeason why sttudents belieeve that Stanndard English should be

limited too academic discourse.

d Thhe use of noon-standard varieties
v cann also be a seense of identity.

This is inn response to

o the traditioonal belief thhat the language of the majority
m of Caribbean perrsons

was “badd or degeneraate English”” (Carringtonn in Drayton 209).

806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  8 
 

Implications for Pedagogy

Diagram 4 further illustrates that though many students identified themselves as native

English speakers, they identified problems with their language at tertiary level. The problems

were mainly in writing. Sentence construction subject-verb agreement, grammar broadly

encompasses all issues mentioned and appropriate tense referred to the selection of the correct

tense and consistent use of it in writing by the students.

Problems identified in English at Tertiary Level

Sentence construction.
Grammar.
Use of appropriate tense.
Diagram 4: Problems identified by tertiary students in Tertiary Level English

Though it may be difficult to convince students who are comfortable with existing

linguistic competence to take classes, the availability of such need to be taken into consideration.

80% did not know of the existence of the Writing Centre of the Faculty of Humanities and

Education. When asked if they would participate to improve writing skills, 100% would go for

assistance.

The need for more English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses at UWI is highlighted by

the changing student demographic. Firstly the entry pathways to the university have changed.

Since the introduction of GATE, more people possess what Roberts and Brissett (10) term non-

traditional qualifications. Traditional qualifications would be possessed by students entering

UWI from secondary school. These include CXC/GCE O’levels, A levels/CAPE and UWI

certificates. The non-traditional qualifications include School of Continuing Studies Certificates,

Associate Degrees and Teachers Diplomas and Certificates. These types of qualifications are

possessed by mature students who are defined as those given admission “based only on their age
80600743
30  Hasssan Basarally LING 6106 9 
 

and relevvant experien

nces and nott their formal qualificatioons” (Brissettt and Roberrts 12). The

report alsso states thatt there was a shift towardds these typees of qualificcations and students
s (98).

This has resulted in the

t student population
p haaving an arraay of linguisstic competennce that musst be

catered for.
fo

C
Certain chang
ges in the appproach Engllish course are
a taught muust be considdered. One of
o the

recommeendations off Scott is “Staandard English as a secoond dialect too Carebbeanns”. This gives

rise to Neero’s concep

pt of Bidialecctalism (5866). UWI studdents need too be treated not
n as nativee

English speakers
s but dialect speaakers in needd of masterinng English. Such
S coursess should incllude

the follow
wing elemen
nts: subject-vverb concordd, tense, plurrals, possessions, copulaa and sentencce

structure. These featu

ures have beeen identifiedd by Nero (5585) as thosee which show
w the most

Creole innterference.

Diagram
m 5: Engllish relatted taskks studen
nts 
expectted to pe
erform iin their iintendedd 
Business 
careerss.
Correspondence
9% Co
onference 
Debates Presentations
9% 28%

Sub editing
9
9%

Reports
Editing 18%
9%

Scieentific analysiss onsulting with 
Co
9% otheer professionals
9%
806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  10 
 

Faculty Amounts Amount of Vacancies with Specific English Requirement

of a specific English
Vacancies Language Requirement
Yes No
Humanities
and
Education
Medical
Sciences
Science and 2 2 • Strong written and verbal
Agriculture communication skills.
• Drafting memoranda and
technical reviews.
Social 4 1 3 • Communicative abilities
Sciences/ Law both oral and written, and a
high degree of analytical,
diagnostic, negotiate and
persuasive skills.
Engineering 1 1 • Advanced negotiation
skills.
15/11/09

Faculty Amounts Amount of Vacancies with Specific English Requirement

of a specific English
Vacancies Language Requirement
Yes No
Humanities
and
Education
Medical
Sciences
Science and 1 1 • Documenting IT solutions.
Agriculture
Social 6 5 1 • Preparing reports.
Sciences/ Law • Effective/sound oral,
interpersonal and written
communication/negotiation
skills.
• Proficiency in the use of
Microsoft Office Suite.
• Presentation skills for wide
and varied audience.
Engineering 3 2 1 • Creates and updates
operating training manuals.
• Excellent Spanish and
806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  11 
 

English skills.
17/11/09

Faculty Amounts Amount of Vacancies with Specific English Requirement

of a specific English
Vacancies Language Requirement
Yes No
Humanities
and
Education
Medical 2 2 • To provide professional
Sciences advice in a clear, concise
and persuasive manner,
both orally and in writing
• Writing reports.
Science and 3 2
Agriculture
Social 8 3 5 • Develops policy guidelines.
Sciences/ Law • Prepare and comment on
Cabinet Notes and Reports.
• Record and collate
quantitative and qualitative
data.
Engineering
16/11/09

Faculty Amounts Amount of Vacancies with Specific English Requirement

of a specific English
Vacancies Language Requirement
Yes No
Humanities 18 11 7 • Communicate respectfully
and with students, parents and
Education colleagues.
• Excellent verbal/written
communication skills.
• Prepares reports and
presentations.
• Maintain records.
• Prepare educational
material.
• Conduct research.
• Research skills.
• Word processing skills.
806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  12 
 

Medical
Sciences
Science and
Agriculture
Social 3 3 • Prepares and reviews
Sciences/ Law procurement
documentation.
• Express ideas clearly, orally
and in writing
Engineering
18/11/09

Faculty Amounts Amount of Vacancies with Specific English Requirement

of a specific English
Vacancies Language Requirement
Yes No
Humanities 1 1 • Excellent communication
and skills.
Education
Medical 1 1 • Excellent oral and written
Sciences communication skills.
Science and 1 1 • Good writing skills and
Agriculture ability to document policies
and procedures.
Social 2 1 1 • Outstanding written and
Sciences/ Law oral skills.
Engineering
19/11/09

Faculty Amounts Amount of Vacancies with Specific English Requirement

of a specific English
Vacancies Language Requirement
Yes No
Humanities 2 1 1 • Good oral and written
and communication skills.
Education
Medical 1 1
Sciences
Science and
Agriculture
Social 3 2 1 • Good oral and written
Sciences/ Law communication skills.
Engineering 1 1
20/11/09
806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  13 
 

Faculty Amounts Amount of Vacancies with Specific English Requirement

of a specific English
Vacancies Language Requirement
Yes No
Humanities
and
Education
Medical
Sciences
Science and
Agriculture
Social 15 3 12 • Excellent communication,
Sciences/ Law presentation and public
speaking skills
Engineering
21/11/09

The tasks that students are expected to perform on the job are many. Many of the skills

are presentation skills which involve speaking and writing. Communication skills also involve

listening and reading. This shows that the variety to tasks requires a holistic language

programme encompassing reading, writing, speaking and listening. These skills cannot be

fragmented but must be incorporated into present courses.

Form the tables above there is great need for English for Specific Purposes courses at

UWI. There is in existence Scientific Writing, Argumentative Writing and Writing about

Literature. Courses need to be formulated to meet the tasks students are expected to complete in

the corporate world. A feature that is missing from the current English Language Foundation

Programme is an oral aspect. Many employers require graduates to do oral presentations that

have become a key communicative tool in the modern workplace. Though there are tutorial

presentations in many courses they are not campus wide and in many cases the focus is on

content not delivery. In addition, language is primarily spoken, so this skill will impact on

student writing.
806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  14 
 

Also some best practices must be utilised in the way faculties mark written scripts. Not

all faculties utilises marking rubrics which clearly show the allocation of marks. Also, the focus

seems to be on content alone with little attention to grammar. Grammatical errors are usually

corrected but by not penalising students for it the need for Standard English in writing academic

discourse is diminished. In addition, to develop holistic students such changes should be campus

wide and not particular to any faculty. When engineering students are exempted from English

courses the impression that it is not important is given.

Conclusion

From the qualitative data several issues of language awareness are seen. Students are

aware of the differences between the language spoken and Standard English. There is little desire

to learn the Standard by students who have a sense of pride and comfort in the Creole/Dialect.

The greatest Creole interference occurs in expository writing.

There is a need for all features of language to be taught in English courses. In addition,

courses must be designed to specifically cater for the student who is neither a native English

speaker nor learning it as a foreign language.

806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  15 
 

Appendix 1

1. Which faculty do you belong to? _____________________________________________

2. What is your degree? ______________________________________________________

3. Are you a Full Time, Part Time or Evening student? _____________________________

4. What is your language? ( )English ( ) Creole/Dialect

5. Based on your pre-tertiary study of English, would you like to further it? _____________

6. Please give reasons for your answer for question 4.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

7. How would you describe your English language skills?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Using a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being ‘agree least’ and 5 ‘agree most’, state how much you agree

with numbers 7 to 11.

8. Your writing has minimal spelling, punctuation and grammar errors. ________________
806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  16 
 

9. You find it easy to read and understand texts in Standard English. __________________

10. You find it easy to take notes in classes where the teacher speaks Standard English _____

11. You find it easy to engage in discussions or debates in Standard English _____________

12. You understand clearly oral instructions or conversations in Standard English _________

13. Do you believe that English language skills are useful at tertiary level?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

14. Do you use Standard English to a large extent in your personal life? If so, how?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

15. Can you describe your problems, if any, with English language at tertiary level

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

16. Is English language a major consideration when preparing an assignment?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

17. Have you ever been penalized for English language errors at tertiary level? If so explain.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________
806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  17 
 

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

18. Are you aware of help in writing skills at the University of the West Indies? ( ) Yes ( )No

19. Would you be willing to undergo writing coaching? ( ) Yes ( )No

20. Do you believe that English Language skills will be of benefit to you in your intended

career?

________________________________________________________________________

21. If yes, what tasks would be expected to perform in your intended career that would

require English language skills?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

22. Does your tertiary institution have an English course specifically for your faculty? If it

does not should it have one? ________________________________________________

23. What language skills does/should the current/proposed faculty-specific English course

teach?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________
806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  18 
 

24. Do you have any other comments about the English skills are expected of you at school

or how English courses can better prepare students such as yourself?

________________________________________________________________________
806007430  Hassan Basarally  LING 6106  19 
 

Works Cited

Business Correspondent. “The ABCs of Tertiary Education in T&T.” Contact Vol. 9 No. 3 2003.
0000080+. Print.

Briguglio, Carmela. “Non –English Speaking Background (NESB) Students’ Perceptions of their
00000Linguistic and Educational Needs.” Curtin University of Technology. Apr. 1998. Web. 03
00000Dec. 2009.

Cheny, R. Kathleen. “Community College English: Diverse Backgrounds, Diverse Needs.” The
00000Relevance of English Ed. Robert P. Yagelski & Scott A. Leonard. Urbana, Ill.: National
00000Council of Teachers of English, 2004. 204-234.

Drayton, Kathleen. “The Most Important Agent of Civilisation: Teaching English in the West
00000Indies, 1838-1986.” Teaching and Learning English Worldwide Ed. James Britton, Robert
00000E. Shafer & Ken Watson. Clevedon, Phil.: Multilingual Matters Ltd. 1990. 200-225.

Roberts, Vivienne and Nigel Grisette. Pathways to Tertiary Education in the English-Speaking
Caribbean. Cave Hill: UWI Press, 2003. Print

Nero, J. Shondel. “English Is My Native Language...or So I Believe.” TESOL Quarterly 31.3

(1997): 586-593. Print.

Scott, L. Jacqueline. “English Language and Communication Issues for African and Caribbean
00000Immigrant Youth in Toronto.” Coalition for Visible Minority Women. 09 Feb. 2004. Web.
000002 Dec. 2009.